Hello San Juan! If I had to pick my favorite ports, Eastern or Western Caribbean, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico would be in the top five. What else would make the cut? Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. So today’s stop in Old San Juan was one that I was looking forward to, as I haven’t visited the island since before COVID.
I’m currently sailing on an 8-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, and so far things have been going great. There were a few minor hiccups, like not having my stateroom key outside my room on embarkation day that required a long wait in line at Guest Services, the inability to make specialty restaurant reservations via the Carnival HUB app, and a less than satisfactory experience trying to get a table at the ship’s steakhouse.
I do have one more to add to the list. I will say that the temperature in my inside stateroom on Deck 12, was perfect up until Tuesday night when things started to get very warm. Around 2 am, I woke up thinking someone snuck in and turned the heat on! Not wanting to deal with someone coming in the middle of the night to check the air conditioning, I waited until the morning to report it.
A crew member came right away to check the room temperature and it was a toasty 82. She called and was told they will make an adjustment to the computer and it should be back to normal in a few hours. By nighttime the room was cool once again, but unfortunately not to the chilly temperature it was earlier in the cruise, but it’s not like sleeping in a rainforest any longer.
We docked in Puerto Rico around 10:15 am and were joined by the Carnival Sunshine, MSC Seascape, and Norwegian Getaway making for a lot of people ashore. Looking out at the other ships, Mardi Gras, Seascape, and Getaway were looking fresh, clean, and well-maintained. However, the poor Carnival Sunshine was looking bad.
Many of us were joking that we felt bad for those gazing over at the Mardi Gras when their ship was in such rough shape. Rust was visible all over the side of the ship and the crew were busy trying to clean off and paint over large streaks of grease or some substance that was splattered on the bow near the anchor on the port side.
Later in the day when the ship was getting ready to depart, someone joked that the captain of the Sunshine may ask our captain for a set of jumper cables.
It’s sad to see the ship in this condition when much of it could be covered up with some paint until more detailed work could be done to make her look better. It doesn’t take much for someone to have a negative first impression of your brand, and if your brand is literally rusting away in front of you, it’s not a good look.
But I digress… it’s time to get off the ship and head out and about in San Juan. Along the main street where the ships dock, vendors, panhandlers, and those looking for charitable donations hang out, so you first need to get through all that, and with four ships in port, there was a lot of pedestrian congestion along this walkway.
One of the things I always do when in Old San Juan is walk around the narrow, brick-paved streets that make up the town and walk over to El Morro, the fortress that was built between the 16th and 18th centuries and is the first thing you see as the ship enters San Juan Bay. The fortress showcases impressive architecture with its massive stone walls, intricate tunnels, and imposing lookout towers.
Exploring El Morro is like stepping into a living history book. The fortress offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, San Juan Bay, and the city skyline. As you wander through its grounds, you can read about the fort’s intriguing past, and its role in protecting the island from naval attacks and invasions. El Morro also houses a museum that showcases artifacts and exhibits, shedding light on Puerto Rico’s colonial era.
Getting there from the port is just a short walk, but be sure to bring along water, wear comfortable shoes, and apply sunscreen. It’s hot, there’s no shade along the walking path, and you will be walking up and down hills and stairs to access the different levels of the fort. You’ll also run into some of the area’s wildlife that include a colony of feral cats that are taken care of by volunteers.
Since the Spanish conquest of Puerto Rico in the 1500s, cats have been a familiar presence in Old San Juan. These feline companions were introduced to the island by Spanish sailors who brought them aboard their galleons. Beyond their role in controlling rodents on the ships, cats were believed to bring good luck, prompting sailors to bring them ashore.
As you make your way around El Morro you’re likely to encounter several of these cats and large iguanas who live among the rocks and cliffs. You’ll also smell the cats, as when the heat gets turned on, so does the smell of one very large litter box!
From El Morro, I headed into town where there was a lot of construction going on all over. Almost all the narrow brick-paved streets were torn up with detours in place. While there were visible signs of infrastructure work underway, nothing was actively being worked on!
Shop workers were diligently trying to attract visitors inside whether to grab a beer, check out jewelry, or buy t-shirts… even Marshalls had someone out front! Before heading back to the ship, I made two stops. The first was to the one cigar store I visit every time I’m in Old San Juan – Cigar House. They have a wide range of cigars and accessories, but nobody ever goes out of their way to let you into the humidor or sell you anything – so be prepared to ask!
Unfortunately, no Cubans, but I did pick up some favorites that were a bit cheaper than what I would pay for them back home.
Next up, I stopped at the Walgreens across the street from the ship terminal. There’s also a CVS, in case you’re wondering. Once inside, the line of people waiting to checkout encompassed the entire perimeter of the store. Most of them were crew members from the ships in port that day stocking up on supplies.
Buying anything here would result in at least a 45-minute wait to checkout, so it was back to the ship.
All aboard was 6:30 pm so I headed up to the ship’s Serenity Deck – an adult’s only area (aka kid free) – for the sail away. Sailing in and out of San Juan is one of the highlights of the port call. Seeing El Morro as you enter the harbor in the morning and seeing it again lit up at night with the city’s skyline in the background is simply beautiful.
Entertainment for the night in Grand Central was Deal or No Deal – where a lucky contestant chosen at random can win up to a grand while audience members can play along with bingo cards that are purchased prior to the start of the came and allow players to win cash or a 5-day cruise. In the first round that I watched, the contestant took the banker’s offer of $230 and it was later revealed that her case had the $0.01 prize, so she made out. One audience member took home $300.
For dinner, I headed over for a return to Cucina del Capitano, the Olive Garden of the Sea. The other night I had a really good short rib entree from here, but was in the mood for some mediocre Italian food, so off I went. I asked for a table outside, which was accommodated with ease.
In terms of restaurants on board, in addition to the main dining room, Cucina del Capitano and ChiBang! are complimentary. However, Chibang! is only complimentary the first time on Mardi Gras, after that it’s $8 per person. It remains free for any number of visits on Carnival Celebration.
For dinner, you can also visit Rudi’s Seagrille and Fahrenheit 555 (steakhouse) for $48 per person; Bonsai Teppanyaki for $38 per person; Emeril’s Bistro 1396, Bonsai Sushi, and Seafood Shack are ala carte, and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse offers both a free and ala carte menu.
To start off, I went with Nonna’s Meatballs, which despite the plural, only consisted of one meatball. While the meatball was good, it was lukewarm with the center cool.
Next up was Mussels and Clams, which were served in a very savory broth along with some garlic bread. No complaints with this one at all.
For my main course, I went with chicken parmesean and penne pasta. Heads up, none of the main courses at Cucina del Capitano come with any side of pasta, so if you want pasta with anything, you have to order it as a second entree. The chicken had mozzarella on top that was not completely melted and the chicken itself, with its tasty breading, was lukewarm. The pasta was cooked al dente and was the only thing that arrived hot.
Dessert was an apple crostini with vanilla ice cream which was average and a sweet way to end the meal.
Overall, service was fantastic with the team of servers continually checking to make sure everything was ok, my water glass was always full and bar orders were taken and delivered quickly. While the food may not be the best, service both times has been great.
Before calling it a night, I stopped by the casino where I had to add money to my account. Yes, the house always wins! And I walked away a loser once again. Whenever someone wins a jackpot that ends up being a hand-pay, they make a congratulatory announcement over the speakers in the casino. Those announcements came fast and furious the first and second night of the cruise, but have dramatically subsided the further on in the cruise.
Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure the odds on the machines are a bit higher the first and second day to get you to hooked, but are scaled back as the week goes on.
We’re currently sailing towards Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands where we’ll have a somewhat short day there tomorrow. We arrive a little after 7 am and all aboard is 3:30 pm.
Thanks for following along!
Fun Times for Day 5:
The Fun Times for May 17, 2023 can also be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.